I Chose You
by animellow
Summary: Pikachu never needed a trainer. Never. It would not be tamed by anyone, and that's how the pokemon liked it. But that all changes when it meets Ash. Meant for the I Choose You! Movie, though you don't necessarily need to have seen it to read this.
1. Chapter 1

Pikachu never needed a trainer.

It was fine on its own, and not once did it need help from a human. Though yes, it was fun to play jokes and pranks on them, the pokemon believed that it should not be owned by anyone, and that that would never change.

Then one morning, after Pikachu watched three kids come in and choose among his three friends - Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle - leaving him alone, it thought that it was just another "special" day for the humans and that was that.

But after a while, another human came bursting in, sweaty and panting.

"You're late, Ash," came the familiar professor's voice.

A slightly rough, and also slightly high-pitched voice apologized, then quickly asked, "Are there any left?"

Pikachu didn't need to watch the rest, knowing that it probably wouldn't mean anything to him. The boy would simply find the three slots empty, and leave disappointed.

"Aww!" It heard him say, and took a peek from the upper metal walkways to see the boy, with black hair and a sad look on his face, turn back to the professor, who was behind him.

"Are there really no more pokemon?" He asked, and Pikachu immediately ran to the other end in an attempt to hide. But the proffessor, seeing it as it ran, replied, "Well, there is one..."

As if on cue, Pikachu ended up slipping and fell off, but landed stylishly in an attempt not to embarrass itself.

"Ash, this is Pikachu. You can choose him, if you like, but..."

It looked up into the boy's eyes, which were now sparkling happily as he smiled. "Woah!" He exclaimed.

"Hi, Pikachu!" He greeted, and picked it up.

But Pikachu did not like humans, and it certainly did not _like_ being picked up.

Ignoring the professor's protests and "wait"s, the electric mouse did what it knew best - and shocked Ash with electricity. It laughed excitedly at his expression - perfect for a painting. Did someone get that on camera?

Ash, ignoring the event, put it back down and after fixing his hair a little, brought out a pokeball. "How about it, then?" He asked, and threw it.

Pikachu deflected the ball with his tail, skillfully avoiding its button. He caught it clumsily, and with an exhausted face threw it again.

Again it deflected the ball.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Then it landed onto his face, and Pikachu bursted with joy.

"Aw, come on," it heard him grumble, and just then the door outside opened, and in came a short lady with brown hair.

"Ash, sweetie!" She called, and the electric mouse immediately knew she was his mother. Rolling its eyes, it wanted to walk away, but for some reason stayed put.

"Mom?! Why are you here?" The boy exclaimed dramatically. Again, Pikachu rolled its eyes. Why was this kid so surprised? Looking back to the woman, the mouse tuned back in to the conversation.

"You forgot your lunch," she smiled sweetly, and handed said lunch to him. A thanks was mumbled, and the pokemon shook its head.

It appears the woman still hadn't noticed the yellow creature on its paws beside her son because she asked, "Did you pick your pokemon yet?" With a calm air around her.

The boy immediately brightened. "Oh, yeah!" He remembered, and bent down to scoop Pikachu in his arms.

Surprised by the sudden contact just after what it had done to the boy a moment ago, the pokemon didn't make a move.

"Mom, this is Pikachu," he introduced. "Pikachu, say hi."

But again, Pikachu did not like humans.

And now he almost certainly hated being picked up.

The boy shouldn't have been so surprised that he was zapped with painful, higher voltage. With him frozen in place and the pokemon's humour starting to die down, Pikachu jumped free from the now burnt hands of his captor.

It watched as Ash just sighed, his mother and the professor looking a little worried for him. Grabbing the pokeball from the floor where it had landed after hitting his face, he bent down once more, a slightly tired, slightly nervous, but also truly happy expression showing on his face.

He brought the capture device in front of the pokemon, and held it there.

"Come on, please?" He asked nicely, an enticing smile on his face.

This boy seemed so genuine and sincere, the sparkle in his eyes revealing adventure and care, something that was saying that he was a good person - a real, loyal, and good-hearted trainer. Something about him just seemed...

 _Special_.

Pikachu gasped inwardly, and roughly shook its head. It needed to snap out of these thoughts! This trainer was just like the rest, surely - one minute he'll be kind and happy, the next he'll be moving on to some other, better pokemon. Or even worse, he'd be the kind who's all work and no play, or even- even-

The pokemon struggled to even think about it. There were a lot of bad people out there, after all. No world was perfect.

"Aw, come on. It won't be that bad!" The boy said, bringing it back to reality.

What? Pikachu hadn't said anything yet. All it had done was just shake its head, and-

 _Ohhh_.

Wait, why did it even need to think twice? What did Pikachu care whether it had agreed or not? The pokemon didn't even _want_ to say yes.

But the boy still held the ball out to him.

Somehow, it was kind of amazing. Most trainers would have done away with him by now, even a few of the more patient ones.

But this one, he just refused to leave it behind.

Why was that?

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

 **Second Christmas fic (which isn't Christmas themed), up! Honestly, I was thinking of making this a very long one-shot, but I realized I'd never get it up in time. So now I guess I'll just be posting it in parts. Also, you might've noticed that a lot of these details are wrong. I said this fic was for the I Choose You! Movie, right? Well, it's been a while since I saw it, so yeah, that explains why I got so many details wrong. I only realized it after rewatching some parts for research and junk, but then I got too lazy to fix everything, which is why I didn't fix it. Despite that, I hope you enjoyed it, and Merry Christmas!**


	2. Chapter 2

Pikachu growled through its teeth. Annoying trainer.

"Come... on!" He shouted.

Bored and unamused, it stared at the human who it was currently leashed to. Quite literally. The pokemon was tired of this boy's antics, and now he had chosen to put a collar round its neck, dragging its body on the floor. It wasn't too surprising, really.

What surprised the mouse was how incredibly weak he was.

It watched as he grunted and struggled to pull him forward on the hill.

Really? This boy couldn't even lift a small, reasonably light pokemon? Pikachu couldn't understand why he was still even trying. The mouse had made it obvious that it doesn't like him, and yet he refuses to let it go. Why, just because it was his first pokemon? Then what if it wasn't? What if it had been another of hundreds of caught Pikachus? What then?

The pokemon was snapped out of its thoughts when it heard its name called.

"Come on, Pikachu. Can't you help me out here?" Ash asked, panting and sweating slightly. His hands were both gripped tight on the leash, but Pikachu didn't budge no matter how hard he pulled. If anything, the pokemon looked away in rebellion, as if to say, humph! Which it was, in a sense.

Ash groaned again, and was about to resume his attempt and reached down, probably to carry it. Seriously? Doesn't he get tired of getting electrocuted? Pikachu prepared to release an electrical surge, and opened its mouth to cry out -

When he released it. Collar in hand, the boy kept it in his bag, letting Pikachu roam free. "There. That's better, right?" He asked.

This boy was foolish. He knew Pikachu didn't like him, so why did he remove the collar? Didn't he think it would run away? Or was he just too naive?

A screeching pokemon cry distracts the mouse from its thoughts. It turned to look, and Ash followed its gaze to the left.

The pokemon screeched again, and Pikachu identified it as a Spearow, sitting lightly on a rock as it watched the two interact.

"Woah," he says again, which Pikachu finds redundant. "What's that pokemon?" He asks, eyes shining with excitement like before. He makes a move to grab a pokeball, but before he does Pikachu decides to toy with it for a bit, and maybe scare it off so that he doesn't get it. But before he can Ash throws the ball, and it hits - but the button doesn't, and so the Spearow is left with a painful bump on its head.

Pikachu couldn't help it when it laughed, but when it looks back on the moment now it still regrets having done so, because then the bird pokemon focused its fierce gaze on it, irritated and furious.

It charged for Pikachu, but the mouse was quick to react and jumped up, letting loose an electrical charge to scare it off. A cry of pain informed the pokemon that it hit the target, and Pikachu smirked smugly as it watched it flee towards a large, grand tree.

Its smirk was soon turned into a frown though, because as soon as it reached the tree, a rather intimidating amount of other Spearows burst from hiding.

"Uh-oh," Ash voiced Pikachu's thoughts. "Run!" He yelled, as the storm of birds charged toward them. Pikachu ran and ran, not bothering to see whether the boy was keeping up or not. The birds were very angry, see, and the pokemon did not want to stay to face their wrath.

Running up the hill, Pikachu looked behind it to see how close they were. Its eyes widened when they spotted the flock already catching up to the two, the boy not more than a step behind it.

Pikachu ran faster. Soon both it and the trainer entered the forest, and the sunlight grew dimmer and made things harder to see. Lots of branches and twigs caused both of them to slow down slightly despite their best attempts to ignore it, but nonetheless the birds caught up. They began pecking and scratching at their bodies and faces, the boy covering his as he tries to defend himself. Pikachu struggled to keep its eyes open, unable to shield them with its paws unlike the other.

It seems the trainer notices this, as he quickly scoops up the beaten and injured pokemon into his arms, carrying it gently but firmly. The mouse didn't resist, actually being grateful for the protection. It tried its best to keep its eyes open, watching the boy try to shoo away the birds attacking them as they exited the forest.

It was raining now, and a steep slope awaited them just outside the crowd of trees. Ash didn't have enough time to react and slipped, shutting his eyes closed as he gripped Pikachu hard to his chest and tucked in, shielding the pokemon from further harm. They landed onto a shallow hole the size of a pond, rain turning soil into mud.

As they landed roughly Pikachu was thrown out of his arms, and they rolled to a stop on the ground. It turned around to see if the boy was okay - unconsciously breathing a sigh of relief when he stood up.

It watched as he took out its ball, and held it out to him. "Get in here," he said. "You'll be safe."

Pikachu shook its head, body too hurt to stand up properly.

"Okay," he told it, surprisingly not fighting back. He placed it down carefully in front of the pokemon. "If you want to, just push the button."

Standing back up, he turned around. His back was to the pokemon, and he stretched his arms out to the sides in an open _come and get me!_ gesture. Pikachu shifted slightly, and saw the determined look in his eyes staring at the massive cloud of birds above them. Those eyes showed no fear - only the focus and determination to protect the pokemon he called his.

 _Pikachu_.

It couldn't believe what it was seeing.

A human, _defending_ it? No trainer had ever done that, because it was always the pokemon's job to defend the trainer. Not the other way around.

Which was why it didn't like humans. They were all the same, always betraying or hurting the pokemon in the end, blaming and yelling and unforgiving. In the end, they always gave it away or left it stranded, and then that poor pokemon would be left all alone and scared, crying and sad by its lonesome in the dark forest. So scared that it might not survive, because what would it do? Where would it go? Would someone take it in? What would happen to it? Eventually it had happened so many times that enough was enough, and so that pokemon hardened its heart, capped its feelings with a lid, and set about to be free.

Free of humans, free of expectations, free of blame and hurt and anger. It would do whatever it wanted, making sure that everything it did only served to make it happy. Even if it meant being alone, the pokemon didn't care. If it was alone, then good! No trainer to worry about lashes from. If it was alone, then perfect! It could roam about wherever it pleased, be it a random cave or a field of flowers, scaring other pokemon or stuffing itself for no reason.

But now- now-

Now a human was defending it. _Not_ the other way around.

The next thing it knew, despite the sore and aching body it had Pikachu was standing on its feet, suddenly finding the strength to get up before the many Spearows reached them.

Pikachu didn't like humans. Definitely not. But its body moved on its own, its heart breaking out from that container for _just_ a second - and it could not be still any longer.

They charged towards the trainer, unrelenting.

Pikachu leapt up, high onto the boy's shoulder, and jumped.

An electric current ran through its body, that familiar tingling and sparky feeling coursing through its veins. It prepared itself, and let out a fierce cry of rebellion. Then it released, and that voltage came into the world, shooting out like lightning across the sky and at its targets.

Then it was over, and the birds were gone. They were safe.

It - _He -_ was safe.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

 **Ahum. So I did some research on Pikachu's weight, and, well... let's just ignore the fact that it's 6 kg, okay? For now, let's just make him magically light-ish in this story, so that it... you know... makes sense. Still, I hope you enjoyed it!**


	3. Chapter 3

The flashback was over. Pikachu snapped out of its daze and focused on the here and now, facing its many adversaries. Marshadow still held the now dull and colorless feather of Ho-oh, its small grey form staying back as it controlled them. It and Ash were cornered - pushed back to a pointed ledge which led to a deathly drop below. The pokemon grit its teeth and growled, ready to fight to protect its trainer.

Various pokemon of all sorts surrounded the two from everywhere, and they slowly closed in as the pokemon was overpowered, out-matched and outnumbered. It fired a bolt of lightning - the electricity hit and spread to a few pokemon, but not enough to make a good dent in the crowd. The controlled pokemon retaliated by firing back attacks of their own: dark, grass, water, fire, electric, ground, rock - too many to count, and Pikachu was nearly blasted off the edge. Ash caught it by the tail, his arm barely reaching him due to the pain of his injuries.

"Pika!" The pokemon thanked him, and he nodded.

But when he put it down and it tried to stand up, its legs buckled.

It tried again - but to no avail. It was too weak.

Ash saw it as it struggled to get back up, but after seeing it fall a third time he could no longer take it, it seemed. He stood up, obviously ignoring the pain and ache in his body, taking out the ball meant for his partner.

He placed it down in front of it, repeating the same words from one of the first moments after they had met.

"Get in here," he said. "You'll be safe."

Pikachu shook its head, tears threatening to spill.

No. No no no no no.

 _No!_ It would _not_ repeat those events!

"Okay," he told it.

 _Stop!_ It wanted to scream out, force itself to stand up and _fight back_ , but no, its legs! Its stupid, _stupid legs..._

"When you want to, you know what to do."

Pikachu tried to scream this time - but no voice came out. His throat felt dry and rough, scratchy and painful. Please, please, please please _please_ don't. Don't do this. Don't take Ash away from him! Don't repeat these events, don't let this fear and hurt take over again. Pikachu knew what would happen if they did, because this time - this _time_ , he might not return. Then it'd be alone, all alone all over again, trembling and crying by itself in the lonely darkness.

It didn't want to go back. Not into that darkness, not ever again. This boy, this trainer, _his owner_ had been the light it never knew it needed, the one salvation it believed would never come. And that light was addicting, so addicting that it ran - it ran and ran and ran toward that light, old feelings sprouting back up and warmth melting the ice of its frozen heart.

 _Please_ , it begged silently, watching with a breaking heart as Ash turned his back to it.

 _Please_ , it prayed to any god that was out there, forcing itself to move forward as Ash stretched out his arms.

 _Save him._

In that last second the other pokemon released each of their own powerful energies. In that last second Pikachu jumped again. In that last second, Pikachu faltered, and fell to the floor.

In those last moments, Ash's form embraced its own and his shadow loomed over it, a hand reaching for its head.

It heard the click of a button.

Then it was all black.

* * *

A dream came to it.

Like a wandering thought into a wandering mind, it came - slowly and yet suddenly.

 _Pikachu opened its eyes._

 _The first thing that greeted it was a bright light, one that was so white and pure that it reminded it of a hospital. Where was it? Where was the boy?_

 _Blinking its eyes to adjust to the light, the pokemon looked around in a daze. Beeping machines of green and silver greeted it, and it eventually came to realize that it was at a Pokemon Center. If that was so, then the boy must have brought it here, if not someone else._

 _It remembered the events of before then, the memories flashing subtly in the back of his mind. How long had it been since then? A day? A week? Pikachu had yet to thank the human, reluctant as it was. It didn't like being saved by one, but it was too late now._

 _Silently, it wondered if he was alright._

 _Luckily, its question was answered a second later, the door to the small room opening and revealing the nurse. Her large, pink hair obstructed the view of the person behind her, but soon after Pikachu saw that it was none other than the trainer who had protected it._

 _It watched as the two came into the room, the nurse checking its vitals and body for any more injuries. The pokemon didn't resist, knowing that it was for its own good as it started to fully awaken._

 _"Alright," it heard her say, and stood on its four paws, suddenly feeling much better. "Your pokemon is fully healed." She turned to the boy, and Pikachu did the same. His worried expression quickly turned into one of relief, and he sighed._

 _Walking over to it, the boy leaned down and gazed into its eyes. "I'm glad you're all better," he said, and reached a hand up to rub its head softly. For once, Pikachu couldn't find the will to resist, much less electrocute him._

 _In fact, it felt kind of... nice._

 _Pikachu didn't dislike the thought either._

 _Then it sneezed - it was cold in here. And when it turned back to face the trainer, he was laughing, chuckling heartedly with it, and not_ at _it. The nurse was laughing, too. In time, the pokemon began to giggle along with them - just as how he would soon learn to love back that trainer reflected in its eyes._

* * *

When Pikachu came out, a soft cloth drifted onto then off of its head. It didn't need to see it to know what it was - and it didn't matter. All that it cared about was Ash.

The boy was lying on the ground, eyes closed and looking as if in peace. His expression was calm and his form faded, the mirage of what was left slowly disappearing. Fragments of it left each second in tiny, gleaming stars, and his brown, soft hair rustled in the breeze.

Pikachu wished so badly that he was merely asleep.

It came forward now, ignoring the unmoving enemies and struggling to meet the trainer who had changed its life. The trainer who had mended its broken heart. The trainer who had called it his best friend. The trainer who- who-

The trainer who was _his._

It took time, but eventually it reached the boy, paw stretched out to him. It ignored the ache it felt and kept reaching, closing its eyes shut against the waves of pain.

Almost there.

Pikachu reached a little further.

But where it should have touched him, it grasped at nothing.

Slowly, the pokemon opened its eyes, and it saw nothing - the last parts of him were now gone.

* * *

Pikachu had always needed a trainer.

More than anyone or anything, it needed his trainer.

But the pokemon only realized it when it was too late - because Ash - _his_ Ash, _his_ trainer - was gone.

The mountain was silent, save for the sound of a breaking heart.

* * *

 **And... done! Whew. Wow, I can't believe this story is coming to an end. The next 1 or 2 chapters will probably be the last. I hope you enjoyed the story so far!**


End file.
